Cold
by Wolfenangel
Summary: How can something so desperately broken be fixed?


**_Don't own Labyrinth or anything affiliated._**

Haven't decided if this is a one-shot or not...depends I suppose.

Please lemme know what you think.

Thanks.

**_Wolfenangel7288_**

* * *

_It's not fair._

Sarah chuckled sadly.

_It never is. That's just the way things are. _

She stared at the faces in the picture she held. Her father held Karen close, while she held Toby from her father's shoulder. She threw the framed picture against the wall, the glass shattered and rained down upon the blue carpet. Sarah stood from her spot on the floor, and walked into her bathroom.

The chill of the porcelain tub bit into her rear as she reached out to turn the metal knob. The water spat out into the basin, circling around, in and upon itself. The water warmed quickly; Sarah removed her hand from under the faucet to place the chained plug over the rusted drain. She stood and walked to the vanity, listening to the filling tub.

She glanced at herself in the mirror. The skin of her face was gaunt, stretched tight over her cheekbones. Her once bright green eyes were now dulled, and sunk sickly into their sockets.

She opened her medicine cabinet, the mirror swung to reflect the window, and the starry night beyond its pane. In the tree a short distance from the sill sat a snowy owl, eyeing the scene with abnormally keen interest. It didn't hoot, twitch, or flutter its wings. It merely sat patiently, and watched from behind its mismatched eyes.

Sarah closed the cabinet, after plucking a small orange bottle from the various toiletries. She ran an elegant finger across the printed text, not really reading the small print. It was her deep seated yearning to know that forced her eyes across the smeared letters, though she already knew what they said.

Sarah cast her eyes to the doorway, and the neck brace that now lay in shredded pieces.

She carefully popped the white top into the sink basin, and stared at the contents. The tiny pills called to her, promising the end to her pain. She tilted her head back and poured the pills down her throat, swallowing dryly as they passed her lips.

She cast the bottle away from her; it bounced on the white tiled floor before rolling into the wall.

She returned to the tub, and sat down upon the edge. Sarah turned the knob, ceasing the water's flow. She watched the steam rising from the surface dazedly.

She stripped off her jeans and shirt, and slowly peeled her undergarments from her skin. She stepped into the tub, hissing softly as the hot water bit into her calves. She slid into the steamy pool, and reclined back onto the rim. Sarah closed her eyes against the warmth, and felt the Percocet begin to take hold.

Her body felt pleasingly detached, a familiar numbness settled into her arms and legs. Her knees went lax; she slipped further into the water. The water came to rest above her shoulders, caressing the sides of her throat lovingly.

Sarah didn't notice. She was dreaming of a place where goblins roamed, and a handsome king ruled. She went back in time, to the days when her imagination burned like a wild fire.

Her back relaxed, she slid further into the tub. The water now stroked her cheeks tenderly, rippling under nose as she breathed softly.

Her mind wandered farther into the recesses of her memories. She walked the path to the castle beyond the goblin city, up the stairs to the man who'd captivated her entirely. The stone of the castle walls met her finger tips as she scaled the stairway, up and up and up until she reached a plateau.

There he was, just as she remembered him. All leather, feathers, and sparkles. His entire being seemed to glow with some ethereal light. Sarah couldn't take her eyes from him even if she'd wished to.

He stepped toward her, she felt herself stiffen. He smiled; feral and hungry. She caught his eyes, the ever present glint of mischief that hung behind his heterochromatic irises called to some part of her. She wanted him, but she had to get the baby.

_It's not fair. _

Sarah slipped into the comforting warmth of the tub, letting it swallow her head. Tiny bubbles drifted from her nose to the surface, breaking into the oxygen above.

* * *

Toby Williams walked carefully along the sidewalk. He limped heavily on one side, thanks to his prosthetic leg. The night air cooled his flushed skin.

_I didn't mean it; I shouldn't have said that to Sarah. It wasn't her fault, she wasn't even driving. _

He felt the guilt eat at his conscience. He turned to stare back down the street, towards his home. It was empty without his parents, had been for the year they'd been gone. He'd been living with Sarah still in his parent's house. They'd had another argument, ending with him blaming her for their deaths. Then he'd left her crying, storming out into the evening.

Above him, something loud sounded in the tree limbs. He raised his head to the trees and spotted it.

It was a beautiful owl, the color of freshly fallen snow. It stared at him from its perch. Toby felt a hint of recognition, something somewhere deep inside him pulled at his brain.

_Sarah. _

Sarah had always told him stories of white owls and goblins, and a fantasy land she shared with only him.

_Something's happened. _

He didn't know how he knew, he just did. Some deep, wrenching feeling in his gut told him to get back to his sister. Toby started back towards his house, attempting a run. It was awkward, and within a few steps he found himself face first on the cement. He scrambled to his feet, cursing his awkward leg. He started again, a bit slower. After a few more steps he speeded up, hurrying down the path. The owl fluttered into the air, following the boy as he raced home.


End file.
